1/4" drywall

[cyber]

I saw an ad from Home depot and they have 1/4" drywall. what is it good for? It was more money than the half inch stuff. Quantity buy? "If I can not dance, I want no part in your revolution." Emma Goldman

[Art Begun]

Add-on to normal thickness drywall.

Goldman

[C.J.]

I used it to go right over old paneling in a basement. Worked very well, but was cheaper than 1/2" at the time, don't know why it would cost more.

[Des Perado]

Perhaps it was a misprint?

[SQLit]

1/4 inch is usually used for curves and radii. It bends much easier and does not break as easy. Always has been more expensive. But if your trying to make curved surfaces it does the job though you have to do it twice...

[ConRes]

Some of the thinner drywall can be wet down with a mister and then bent to curves - I think it depends on type though if it can be misted.

[John Gilmer]

It can be a quick and dirty way of coverning up old cracked but otherwise sound plaster to give a smooth surface.

I used it once years ago on the plaster around the fireplace in my folks home on the advice of a neighbor who did home improvement on the side.

It did the job and still looked "OK" about 20 years later the last time I say the room.

[Brad]

If you're looking for a mold colony, why not just soak up a loaf of bread and bury it in one of your wall cavities?

[Grim]

Mold would be the result of constant moisture exposure or thorough, complete saturation with water coupled with no means of evaporation. It is a simple fact that drywall is much more flexible when moistened. This technique is used every day by people in the trade and by those with "know how".

Hence the use of a mister. There is not enough water used to create a mold problem, and the nature of drywall with paper skins allows moisture to wick thru both sides of the product to balance it's self with the surrounding ambient humidity.

You run into mold problems when you are in situations where the excess moisture or complete saturation of the product cannot easily escape because of the product being sealed on one side, or in the most cases, both sides of the wall because of painted walls in adjoining rooms of a house. Think fire with the use of hundreds of gallons of water, an undetected leak for an extended period of time in the wall, or a flood where the drywall and wall construction has an opportunity to absorb water thru cut ends and raw wood timber that has not been sealed with paint or some other coating. It will take a very long, long time for this moisture to pass thru painted walls and creates the perfect moist, dark environment that mold thrives on.

If you mist drywall to get the product to be more user friendly and conform to odd shapes, you simply allow ample drying time between applications of additional layers of drywall or finish coatings before proceeding.

How much time exactly?, It depends. Hotter, drier climates may require only a day, while colder or more humid environments may require numerous days or even the use of additional heaters and/or dehumidifiers. If you want to be fanatical about it, purchase a moisture probe used to determine the moisture content of wood in the lumber industry. When the moisture content of the wetted wall matches or nears the moisture content of surrounding walls, you are good to go.

Grim

[maradcliff]

On Fri, 26 Dec 2003 14:32:29 -0800, cyber wrote:

I have never seen 1/4" The thinnest I ever saw was 3/8, and I'd never recommend that stuff for walls. When I was young my dad made bedrooms in the attic for us kids. He used 3/8 right on the studs. I was a restless sleeper back then, and more than once I busted a hole in the wall in my sleep. He finally put some thick 1/4" hardboard panelling on the wall next to my bed and that solved that problem. I might consider using 3/8 on a ceiling though, just because it is lighter. But 1/4", I have never seen it sold. -OR- are they downsizing on drywall now too, like they did to plywood. Is 3/8 actually only 1/4" now, and 1/2" actually only 3/8"? They seem to be doing that with almost everything. Lumber is even smaller than it used to be, copper wire is thinner, but still rated at #14, #12, etc., and nails are thinner than they used to be, yet rated the same. Flooring is another one, the tile and linoleum are nothing but paper now, as is most wall panelling. It dont just stop with building materials either. Look at food packaging, household cleaners, etc. The last time I went to buy a gallon of bleach, I could only find 3/4 gallon containers, and they cost almost twice what I used to pay for a full gallon. I'm sure the next thing will be plumbing pipe, so none of the old pipe is compatible with the new. This is the 2000's, and the name of the game is to charge you more and give you less.......... Pretty soon you'll buy a bag of chips for $9.99 and will only get one chip, and a fancy plastic bag, and you'll buy a 2x4 that will be 2/32" x 4/32".

[nospambob]

[JSin]

It is a specialty product aside from the uses other posters have named it is standard for mobile homes. The increased price is due to lower volume of purchasing and lower production runs from the manufacturer.

[John Hines]

It is sometimes put on in another layer over drywall, with the seams turned 90 degrees, to minimize sound transmission through the gaps.

And as others have said, for curved surfaces, or repairing bad walls.

[Toller]

If you put it on a curved surface, does it ever accomodate the curve or is it always stressed? If stressed, I can imagine it breaking easily if you bump into it.

[EJ]

I left a piece of 1/2" drywall leaning against a wall in a damp basement. In a few weeks the board bent and the curve is permanent. I would think that

1/4" drywall will permanently accommodate a curve much easier.

EJ

[ConRes]

haha. Excellent explanation.

[HA HA Budys Here]

Copper wire is not thinner than it used to be.

#14 awg is the same as it has always been. #12 is #12, etc...

[RB]

1/4" Sheetrock has been around since the earth cooled. It's the correct material to use when forming a curved wall. Both faces are moistened for at least an hour and then bends as small as 5 ft radius can be made. With 1/2" Sheetrock the minimum bend radius goes up to 20 ft. For a tightly bent curved wall two layers of 1/4" material are used.

The likely reason for it being more expensive is that it is used (and therefore manufactured) in smaller quantities and it is more fragile than 1/2 material.

When you need it nothing else will suffice though.

RB

cyber wrote:

[John Hines]

The newer insulation is thinner (but better) than the old stuff. thus the cable feels thinner, but you are correct, the copper is the same.